St John’s and Olympic Junior Schools Win M-PESA Jr NBA National Finals

All players from the top three teams walked away with medals, trophies, mobile phones, and airtime — rewards made possible by the sponsorship of Safaricom M-PESA and NBA Africa.

St. John’s Junior School (Boys) and Olympic Junior School (Girls), both from Nairobi, took top honors at this year’s M-PESA Jr. NBA National Finals held at Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa.

The boys’ championship game saw St. John’s edge out hosts Aga Khan Academy 30-23.

Their road to the final included a strong 42-20 win over Siaya Central Juniors from Nyanza in the semi.

On the other side, Aga Khan defeated St. Joseph RC from Western with a 66-53 result to advance.

Coach Brian Busaka of St. John’s reflected on their performance:
“We are truly grateful to M-PESA and Jr. NBA for giving us this chance to showcase our abilities. The match was intense — Aga Khan had taller players, but we focused on smart defense and constant pressure. Being named Coach of the Year is a proud moment, and it’s even more rewarding that the top player was from our squad.”

In the girls’ finals, Olympic Junior School powered through to a 19-15 win over Shelter Academy from Migori.

With the first half ending in a 7–7 tie, Coach Ezra Alenga’s team shifted gears in the second half to outscore their opponents and grab the title.

Olympic had earlier secured a semi-final win over Nyamachari Junior from Central in a one-sided affair.

Shelter Academy made it to the finals after beating Lugulu AC Junior from Western.

Coach Alenga spoke after the final:
“The level of play from Western and Nyanza schools was high. We gave it everything in the final and focused on tighter defense after halftime, which paid off. Winning this national title means a lot.”

Bronze medals went to Lugulu AC Junior School on the girls’ side, who defeated Nyamachari 38-21, and St. Joseph RC for the boys, who overpowered Siaya Central 41-25.

Top individual awards went to Moses Ochieng from St. John’s Junior School and Brenda Akinyi from Olympic Junior School as Best Players of the Year.

Brian Busaka and Ezra Alenga were named top coaches for the boys’ and girls’ divisions, respectively.

Speaking on behalf of Safaricom, M-PESA Payments Lead Victor Odada shared the company’s motivation:
“Our focus is to create real change in young lives. Supporting sports like this gives young people more than a place to play — it gives them the chance to learn, grow, and prepare for the future. From incredible match-ups to new skills learned off the court, this tournament was about building well-rounded youth.”

Leading up to the finals, the Top 100 Elite Camp brought together 50 boys and 50 girls from four regions: Nairobi, Coast, Rift Valley, and Nyanza.

The camp featured drills, games, and talent scouting. Boys and girls who made the All-Star teams received phones and individual medals.

NBA Africa’s Kenya Lead, Michael Finley, praised the efforts and energy behind the event:
“This first edition of our junior basketball program has exceeded our hopes. Over 10,000 young players joined this tournament through matches, clinics, and personal development workshops. The raw talent out there is incredible. We believe these children have bright futures in basketball and beyond — they just need a stage like this.”